In a must-win game for both sides that kept switching hands, the Indians held their nerve to choke Bangladesh, who were cruising along at one stage. Rain, some superb fielding, and some clinical batting before all that, was the deal snatcher.

Drama, drama and more drama!

T20 cricket has proved to be a fickle format over the years. While you may seem in the ascendancy at one moment, a sudden twist is always on the cards.

It was KL Rahul’s chance to deliver that twist, this time on the field. Soon after the rain delay, which made it evident that Bangladesh had to keep up the momentum, Litton Das’ stutter while taking a run caught Rahul’s eye. A rocket-throw from the Indian opener ended a memorable innings of 60 runs from 27 balls by Das, much to the delight of the majority at the Adelaide Oval.

Well, well, well, how the turntables!

A foray of wickets, fueled by smart bowling by Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh, derailed the Bangladeshi run chase. Catches win matches and the Indian fielders certainly enabled that feeling.

Nurul Hasan did his part in ensuring a heart-stopping finish in the final over, but Arshdeep, with his imperious calmness, closed out the W for India. Singh is King, indeed! The loom of Litton quickly turned into the ‘Hardik’ ecstasy at Adelaide, helping India move up to the top spot in Group 2.

Litt-up Das

Chasing a stiff total, Bangladesh needed the spark early on. It was provided in plenty, courtesy of a riveting knock by Litton Das. The Indian bowlers, who had conceded less than five runs per over in the powerplay in the last few games, were taken to the cleaners. Das’ bat, which seemed like a magic wand, took apart Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami in the first six overs.

He smashed 56 runs off just 24 balls in the powerplay, stroking seven fours and three massive sixes. It was the second fastest fifty in T20 World Cup 2022, taking the Bangla Tigers to 60/0 after six overs. The blazing knock saw Bangladesh firmly in the driving seat before rain interrupted play. It wasn’t before the Indian batters overcame a jittery start after being asked to pad up first.

Bangla Tigers roar early

The rain gods showed mercy at Adelaide at the start of the match, however, overcast conditions were a blessing for the Bangladesh pacers at the beginning. Rohit Sharma has made Bangladesh pay heavily for their frailties in the past. When Hasan Mahmud dropped the Indian captain off Taskin Ahmed, it seemed like deja vu for the Bangla Tigers.

However, the fortune smiled on Hasan as he scalped Rohit in the next over. Taskin made the Indian batters dance to his tunes in the powerplay. Virat Kohli and Rahul guided India to 37/1 by the end of the powerplay, the highest score for the Indian team in this phase at this T20 World Cup.

RECORD ALERT: Virat Kohli overtook Mahela Jayawardene as the leading run-getter in T20 World Cup history. The baton passed on from one legend to another.

‘KL’ass is permanent

While Rahul awed with some crisp shots, Kohli’s intent to fight fire with fire was evident. His struggles at the start of the tournament have been well-documented.

But as they say, rightly so, that form is temporary but class is permanent. The dependable Rahul was on show at Adelaide. The elegant drives, nonchalant flicks and surety of timing was all there as he smashed his first fifty of the tournament. He finished with 50 runs off 32 balls, hitting four glorious sixes along with three fours.

Eat, sleep, runs, repeat!

The newly crowned No.1 T20I batter in the world once again stood out with his swashbuckling knock. Surya, who rises with the sun, shines bright even in the dark, once again provided the steady Indian innings with a much-needed impetus in the middle overs. SKY smashed four boundaries in his 16-ball 30, which was filled with his trademark full-of-joy shots.

Meanwhile, Kohli displayed incredible character and grafted his way to a well-knit fifty. His love affair with Adelaide was at the fore again.

Brief scores: India 184/6 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 64*, Hasan Mahmud 3/47) beat Bangladesh 145/6 in 16 overs (Litton Das 60, Hardik Pandya 2/28) by five runs (DLS method).